Best Chicken Wings

Billy Goat Restaurant and Bar

Everybody's got their favorite [fill in the blank] and will gladly argue incessantly that their favorite [fill in the blank] is the best and you're a moron for thinking different. So it is with chicken wings. Some like their wings so hot and spicy that when they're done eating they can't feel their lips. Some like them swimming in a garlicky-buttery hot sauce. Some prefer a side of ranch dressing and a few cold, crisp celery stalks to cool the fire. Still others like the Asian version, with sticky-sweet hoisin-based sauce. This year's pick goes to a similarly eclectic style: sans sauce. Just a big serving of wings coated in a lively, pungent dry rub concocted by Brian Roth, chef and co-owner of the Billy Goat Restaurant and Bar, a cozy spot at the intersection of Vandeventer and Boyle avenues. Roth's wings are cooked up and served whole -- no drummette crap -- so they take some effort to devour. We respect that. We also respect how well they go with a pint of ale and a side of Roth's house-made chips.